The hospital room was eerily silent, the only sound emanating from the army of machines huddled at Temperance's bedside. Angela slept restlessly on a chair next to the bed, her fingers still wrapped tightly around her best friend's hand.
For weeks, she and the rest of the team had held a constant vigil, watching and waiting for any signs that Tempe was on her way back to them. They would hold her hand and stroke her hair…and tell her everything was going to be okay. Even when, deep down, they weren't sure that it would be.
Every morning the doctor would come in, check the monitors, shine a light in her eyes, and tell them the same thing they had heard for the past three weeks: that nothing had changed. Her body was healing, the damage the toxin had done to her lungs slowly repairing itself. But she still hadn't regained consciousness. At first, the doctor had been optimistic, saying that it was all normal, that she would wake up in her own time. As the days passed, with no sign of improvement, he had become more and more indifferent. There's nothing more we can do. The damage to her brain must have been more severe than we thought. I'm sorry for your loss…
But she wasn't dead yet. She would be soon. It was only a matter of time, and yet, none of them wanted to give up hope. That maybe…when she was ready…
Suddenly, a shrill beeping shook the silence, ripping Angela from her chair. At first, she wasn't sure what was happening. Then, the shriek of the machines drove a nurse in from the hallway, and Angela watched in horror as she began moving things violently out of the way.
"Doctor! We need the doctor!"
Angela's eyes darted helplessly to the heart monitor, panic rising within her as she realized the green line on the screen wasn't moving. She started toward the bed, desperate to get to Temperance's side, but felt a strong hand pull her back.
"Miss! You'll have to leave! I'm sorry-"
"No! Tempe, no!"